Level 1 to Apex: My Monster Templates Defy Reality!
Chapter 42: Beyond hatred

Chapter 42: Beyond hatred

Veyne nodded to them. "Don’t worry, guys. Everything’s sorted now."

Markus asked his face full of concern, "By the way, what’s your deal with that Roonie guy? Don’t you know that guy is a walking disaster?"

Veyne just smiled. "Hey, don’t be like that. I just joined his guild, you know."

Alex shouted, "You did what?"

Even Henry stared at him, wide-eyed. "Dude, you’re digging your own grave."

Veyne just smiled at them. "No worries, guys. I understand the danger. It’s just some things are necessary in life."

Alex shook his head. "Damn, Veyne, I never thought you would join some other guild. What was even the name of that guild?"

Markus said from the side, "It was just a small guild with Kiyon’s name. From what I know, they barely survived on Roonie’s support."

Alex tilted his head at Veyne. "Dude, this guild is even worse than yours, Limia guild."

Not caring about their question, Veyne just glanced at the clock.

It was already 9:46. He stood up and said while pointing at the mess, "Sorry for this mess. I’ll clean it in an hour."

Before the others could say much, he just put on his shoes and walked out in the same gravy-stained T-shirt.

Not caring about his look, he started walking toward the cafe just outside the college doors.

He took his time walking around the campus. It took him a full 20 minutes just to reach the front of the coffeehouse.

He already saw a bunch of his old guildmates sitting together at the front of the cafe.

There in the center, he saw the long-haired blonde girl sitting among them.

She was trying her best to calm the others. She was none other than Cathrine, his girlfriend.

The moment he saw her, he paused. That series of rotten memories once again started flashing through his mind—it was kind of weird.

He felt no anger, no sadness, nothing. It was like those weren’t even his memories. More like he was looking at someone else’s life.

The more he looked at her, the more he felt that strange sense of detachment.

Like, he remembered all those big and little details about her, but the feeling he got from her and that unknown cashier standing behind the counter was the same.

The feeling of meeting a stranger.

Just two strangers, of whom he knew only one’s name.

It was surprising even to him. But not dragging it on, he just pushed open the cafe door.

Even though the glass door was as silent as it could be, for some reason, all his guild members just looked at him in unison.

It was like they were staring at everyone who entered the cafe.

Before they could say anything, she rushed toward him and yelped in her soft, sweet tone. "Veynii."

Before he could react, she wrapped her arms around him.

He smelled the familiar jasmine smell from her. It used to be... no, currently, this should be her favorite perfume.

Even with her being so close to him, he just felt a bit of irritation.

Still, he didn’t overreact. After all, her future self had cheated on him. But the current Catherine was his childhood sweetheart.

Both of them had been in a relationship for 7 years. Heck, that was already almost a third of their lives.

He waited for her to let go, but she just started complaining while still clinging to him. "Where were you these past weeks? You weren’t even answering my phone. Don’t do something like that again."

Veyne just sighed and said in as calm a tone as possible, "Cathrine, let’s just end this."

The moment those words came out of his mouth, it was like everything froze around him. The guild members who were about to speak stopped with their mouths open.

The strangers who had been smiling from the sides froze. Even the waiter stopped in her tracks as she looked at them.

He felt her arms tightening around him as she looked up with those bright eyes and that sweet smile.

There was a time when he was mad just to see those eyes, to have her smile at him.

But now... There was nothing.

She asked him in a trembling voice, "What do you mean by ending things? You’re talking about that guild of yours, right?"

He saw tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

He could’ve stopped them by just nodding, going along with her. Maybe it would’ve been better to end things slowly. But he just didn’t care.

All he wanted was not to drag around this baggage from the past. So he just shook his head and said in a calm tone, "No. I’m talking about ending the relationship."

The moment those words left his mouth, it was like a dam burst open in front of him as he saw tears dripping down her face.

She grabbed him with more force, like she was holding onto some hope. She asked again, "This is a prank, right? Even your guild’s in on it?"

She turned to them. "You guys staged this prank, right?" But when she saw their pale faces, the strength in her grip started to fade.

She tried hard to control her tears and asked, "But why? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry at me?"

Veyne shook his head. "Nope."

Now she just clung to the front part of his T-shirt as she asked again, "Then why?"

Veyne just stared into her eyes. What should he say to her? Should he say that he was breaking up because she would cheat on him? Or should he lie?

The more he stared into her eyes, the more he sensed that the current her had no malice toward him.

He didn’t want to end a 7-year-long relationship on a lie, so he decided to tell the truth.

He took a breath and said, "I just lost all my feelings toward you. You’re nothing but a stranger to me."

She stared at him with those wide eyes. It was like she couldn’t even believe what she heard.

She asked in a weak tone, "Seven years... I was with you for seven years, and now you say I’m just a stranger?"

He just nodded and took a step back. "Yeah. Nothing but a stranger."

The moment he moved back, she desperately tried to grab his T-shirt, but he was just inches out of her reach as she plopped down on the floor.

Not even a second later, she started wailing, "Waaaaa! Why? Waaaaa! Why you..."

He just looked at her, then walked past her toward an empty table inside the cafe.

He was finally free from the relationship that had almost made him commit suicide in his last life.

Unknowingly, a smile formed on his face.

It wasn’t for her misery but more for himself.

He finally took the first emotional step.

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